Research Proposal

The effect of a servant-leadership model on the ethical

Climate of an organization



Abstract

Covey and Merrill (2008) conclude that the lack of ethical behavior of leaders within organizations is evident in our society. According to Convey and Merrill, trust in almost every societal institution (government, media, business, health care, churches, political parties, etc.) is considerably lower than a generation ago. Yaverbaum and Sherman (2008) state that scandals in this nation have taken place virtually in every arena in which you can practice leadership. They imply that simple ethical practices can help keep things in the right and keep leaders out of trouble. They state that people within organizations feel insignificant. People need hope; they need to feel that there is meaning in what they do.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Table of Contents3

Chapter I4

Introduction4

Statement of the Problem6

Background and Justification6

Purpose of the Study8

Limitations8

The researcher limited experience and knowledge of the Servant-Leadership Model will be one limitation of this study.The study will be further impacted by the participants' experiences and self-perceptions of the Servant-Leadership Model.8

Chapter II9

Review of Related Literature9

Servant Leader9

Servant Leadership Defined9

Humility11

Altruism13

Trust14

Service15

Individual Responsibility16

Servant Leadership Assessment Instrument21

Need for Empirical Research24

Theoretical background and hypotheses25

Work group level of analysis25

Conceptualization ofethical leadership29

Theoretical foundations ofethical leadership30

Relationship between top management and supervisoryethical leadership32

Ethical leadershipand employee behaviors33

Group deviance33

Chapter III38

Proposed Research Methodology38

Design39

Advantages39

Disadvantages40

Participants40

Instruments41

Procedures41

References45

Chapter I

Introduction

Individuals with a preference for extraversion on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) instrument are energized by the outer world of people places and things; they typically need more "strokes" than individuals with a preference for introversion. In addition, they are more prone to talking and engaging than listening and reflecting. Greenleaf explains that the servant-leader is servant first, which begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Patterson's model of servant leadership included seven virtuous constructs that define servant leaders and shape their attitudes, characteristics, and behavior. Four of these constructs appear to be in opposition to the source of energy for extraverts; humility, altruism, service, and perhaps trust. Therefore, it is proposed that of the individuals identified as servant leaders by their followers, the proportion expressing a preference for introversion on the MBTIinstrument will be greater than the proportion of individuals expressing a preference for introversion in the general public. Robert Greenleaf coined the term servant leader (Gonzaga University & Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 2005). Much has been studied and written about servant leadership since that time. The research has included identifying traits of servant leaders. Patterson (2003) presented the theory of servant leadership as an extension of transformational leadership theory and defined and developed the component constructs underlying the practice of servant leadership. Additional studies have built upon this model to explain such interactions as leaders and followers in servant leadership relationships. Dennis (2004) developed the Servant Leadership Assessment Instrument to assess the presence of servant leadership qualities identified by Patterson (2003) in organizational leaders. This instrument was validated to measure five of the seven factors identified in Patterson's model of servant leadership. The MBTIinstrument measures human behavior relative to preferences in four ...